


Leaves In The Stream

by MossyBallerina



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Angst, Betrayal, Custom Female Ryder | Sara, Drama, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Reyder, Romance, Slow Burn (Sort Of)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-06
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-05-19 01:52:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14864412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MossyBallerina/pseuds/MossyBallerina
Summary: Tessa Ryder has enough on her plate, being the human- and so far, only- Pathfinder, a job she never expected nor particularly wanted. The last thing she needs is an arrogant smuggler with a charming smile who makes her forget her better judgement, but somehow, their paths keep intertwining. But there's more to Reyes Vidal than meets the eye, and Tessa soon finds herself battling both her feelings for him and her demons from the past.Primarily a Reyder story, with minor appearances from the rest of the Tempest Crew.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> I just recently played Andromeda for the first time, and didn't expect to fall so hard for Reyes Vidal, but somehow, I did, and this fic idea wouldn't leave me alone. The title of the fic comes from the Voltaire song of the same name, which I highly recommend you check out, as it was a huge source of inspiration for this story, and fits Tessa and Reyes so well.
> 
> Update December 17th: Now newly edited and revised, thanks to the wonderful h34rt1lly!

Tessa Ryder walked up to the bar in Kralla’s Song, the designated meeting place for the member of the Angaran Resistance known as “Shena.” So far, she couldn’t say she was terribly impressed with Kadara, the smuggler’s port seemed to be filled with criminals and vagrants, people with no respect for the law. Well. She supposed that’s exactly what it _was_ filled with—and with Sloane Kelly, infamous player in the Nexus uprising as the one leading the ragtag band of criminals, could she expect anything better?

But hopefully this Shena, whoever they were, would be able to help her get to Vehn Terev, who could in turn give her the information needed to find the Archon and find the map to Meridian. All in a day’s work, right? Tessa scoffed to herself. Right. As if it were that easy. Just thinking about all that rested upon her shoulders was enough to give her a headache.

“Hey!” the Asari bartender yelled at a Krogan leaving the bar, jolting Tessa out of her thoughts, and she arched an eyebrow as she watched the scene play out.

“Piss off,” the Krogan grumbled.

“You order, you pay,” the bartender said, leaning forward to look the Krogan in the eyes.

“I said—” the Krogan was cut off as the bartender slammed a knife into the countertop, not breaking eye contact with the Krogan.

Tessa flinched, her hand reflexively going to where she normally had her gun holstered, but of course since Kadara port was a gun-free zone, it wasn’t there. She shifted her weight to the balls of her feet, ready to fight or flee if the situation escalated, but after a moment the Krogan just grumbled under his breath.

Reluctantly, he something on his omni-tool, wiring credits to the bartender. Pleased with the payment, she removed the knife from the counter and let him leave.

Not even an hour in Kadara, and already Tessa was experiencing all the… charms the little port had to offer. Wonderful. And she thought things on the Nexus were chaotic.

“You look like you’re waiting for someone,” a voice said from behind her and Tessa paused. Smooth voice, sexy accent, the confidence in which he addressed her… he was one of _those_ types, she was sure of it. Turning around, Tessa saw him gesture to the bartender for two drinks, one of which he offered to her.

She narrowed her eyes, quickly sizing him up—handsome, that sexy accent, confident smirk, swagger in his walk. He was likely arrogant, knew exactly how attractive he was, and expected women to fawn all over him. And sure, he _was_ handsome, with his tan skin, slicked back dark hair and armor that was snug in all the right places, showing off his admittedly impressive physique. And despite herself, Tessa found herself fighting down a flicker of interest. A natural reaction to an attractive guy, but her brain was already sending off warning signals. _Bad idea._

Tessa knew that despite his looks-- or maybe _because_ of them-- he was likely also the type to get angry if she turned him down after accepting a drink. She knew the type all too well.

With guys like him, a drink was never _just_ a drink—it was a precursor to sex. Accepting the drink but refusing the sex never turned out well. She’d had her fair share of guys like that back in the Milky Way, and while she could hold her own, she had no interest in getting into a fight.

“No thanks,” she said.

“Suit yourself,” he said, easily downing both the drinks. He let his eyes roam over her, clearly sizing her up the way she had just done to him a second ago, and she crossed her arms, pinning him with an unamused look. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with fuckboys like him, not today.

“So, what’s a pretty girl like you doing here alone? Kadara can be dangerous.”

“Pff,” Tessa rolled her eyes. “If that’s an offer of ‘protection,’ no thanks. I’m fine as is. And I _am_ waiting for someone, so…” She made a slight shooing motion with her hands.

The man was silent for a moment, looking her over once more, before he extended his hand. “Shena. But you can call me Reyes. I hate code names.”

Tessa had to admit she did a double take at that. She’d thought she had the guy all pinned down. “You’re Shena? I was expecting someone more… Angaran.”

“The Resistance pays me to supply information… among other things.”

Tessa just deadpanned him, not in the mood for games. “So you’re a smuggler.”

He just flashed that oh-so-charming smile at her, and Tessa had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. Shena or not, she was wondering if maybe she hadn’t been too far off with this guy after all. He was _definitely_ giving off fuckboy vibes. He started walking away from the bar, jerking his head to indicate she should follow, as he started filling her in on Vehn Terev.

“The people are calling for his execution,” he said. “And Sloane? She’s a woman of the people.”

This time, Tessa couldn’t resist rolling her eyes. “’Woman of the people’? That’s not quite how I’d put it. From what I’ve seen and heard, she rules with an iron fist and doesn’t care much who she fucks over in the process.”

“Well,” Reyes said. “She’ll do what the people want, if it means it helps her stay in power.”

“That sounds more like it,” Tessa said.

“Close enough,” Reyes continued. “You work for the Initiative. Sloane was part of the uprising on the Nexus, and has made it clear she has no love for the Initiative. I doubt she’ll give up Vehn Terev easily.”

“Yeah, I know,” Tessa said. “But too bad. I need him and I plan on taking him, with or without Sloane’s permission.”

Reyes laughed. “We’re gonna be friends, you and I.”

_Yeah, don’t push your luck_ , Tessa thought, though she had to admit there was an easy charm about the man that was hard to resist.

“There might be another way to get to Vehn,” Reyes continued. You work Sloane. I’ll talk to the Resistance.”

“How do I contact you if things go south?” Tessa called after him as he started walking away. But he just winked at her and left. Tessa sighed and shook her head. That had been an… interesting meeting. Not exactly what she’d been expecting, and it left her feeling slightly shaky and off-balance-- she hated being caught by surprise. Maybe she should have had that drink after all.

She also really hated not being in control, and relying on Reyes to contact her, without any way for her to contact him, bothered her. But what else could she do about? He’d already left and disappeared into the crowds of people hanging around the port. Grumbling, Tessa turned to leave as well, but was stopped by the bartender.

“Hey! You gotta pay.”

“But I didn’t even drink anything!” Tessa protested. “Why not charge Reyes before he left?” The bartender just gave her a look, and Tessa sighed. It wasn’t worth fighting over, she could spare a couple of credits.

“Keep the change,” she muttered as she wired over the money.

“Always do,” the bartender replied.

* * *

 Sighing, Tessa headed off to meet Sloane. Time to see if she could do this and make nice with Sloane, or if she’d have to go behind the infamous leader’s back. Generally, she preferred to do things the diplomatic way—that was kind of in the job description of Pathfinder—but she had little love for Sloane or her type.

While admittedly, Tessa hadn’t been present for the Nexus rebellion and couldn’t fully understand the situation due to lack of being there, the fact of the matter was she was busy trying to clean up the mess the exiles had left behind. And while Tessa worked to clean up their messes, Sloane was off playing Queen, free from consequences.

Tessa hadn’t even _asked_ to be Pathfinder, she’d never expected it or trained for it, but she was saddled with the messes other people had made anyways. And she was trying her hardest to do the right thing and be the hero everyone expected her to be, but it was damn _hard_ pleasing everyone, someone inevitably would end up unhappy. So, people like Sloane who acted like they could do whatever they wanted with no regard for who they hurt in the process or who would have to clean up their messes made her _very_ pissed off.

“Alright, SAM,” Tessa said, trying to re-focus on the job at hand, as she left Kralla’s Song and headed towards the Outcast headquarters. “Anything I should know about Sloane?”

_“Before joining the Initiative as head of security, Ms. Kelly served in the Alliance with a nearly spotless record.”_

Tessa didn’t miss that qualifier. “Nearly?”

“She was involved in multiple altercations with other officers,” SAM said.

“Great,” Tessa said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “A hothead. Just what I needed.”

She’d entered the Outcast headquarters, and stopped in front of a door with two armed Krogan guards. “But of course, Kadara port is a ‘gun-free zone’,” she muttered, her tone mocking. “‘We have to keep people safe, we can’t possibly allow guns! Oh, except for my giant Krogan bodyguards. _They_ can have giant assault rifles.’”

“Sloane’s inside,” one the guards said. “Mind your damn manners.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Tessa grumbled. “I can play nice.”

“We’ll need to search you before you’re allowed in,” the other guard said.

“Seriously?” Tessa said, shaking her head in disbelief. “This is a gun-free zone. I’m wearing my civvies. Where could I possibly be hiding a gun?”

“Protocol,” was all the guard said, so with a reluctant sigh, Tessa spread her legs and held her arms out, allowing the guard to roughly pat her down.

“All clear,” he said.

The other guard opened the door and the one who’d searched her jerked his head, indicating she should follow. Tessa did, with the other guard stepping into line behind her, and she grit her teeth, trying to resist the urge to do something stupid. She needed to speak to Vehn Terev, that was the most important thing, and she couldn’t jeopardize that, much as she hated feeling trapped.

Apparently Tessa wasn’t walking fast enough and the guard behind her hit her with the butt of his gun and she had to ball her hands into fists to resist doing something stupid—like grabbing the gun from him and slamming it into his face. She had to at least _try_ to do this diplomatically, and attacking Sloane’s guards was probably not the smartest idea. Not to mention they were armed and she wasn’t.

Instead, she just focused on her breathing, trying to calm her erratic heartbeat, trying to stave off the panic attack that she was on the verge of having. _It’s not a big deal, calm down_ , she told herself.

They entered the main room where Sloane sat, giving directions to her guards as she moved items around on a holographic display. She looked up as Tessa was herded into the room. “What?”

“That’s quite the throne,” Tessa said, unable to stop the sarcastic response. “Sorry, am I supposed to curtsy in the presence of royalty? Grovel at your feet, perhaps?”

Sloane’s eyes narrowed. “Very funny. What are you doing here? What brings a Pathfinder to our humble little port?”

“I’m looking for Vehn Terev,” Tessa said. “Heard of him?”

“What’s he to you?” Sloane said. “And don’t lie to me.”

Tessa weighed the options. On the one hand, she _really_ did not like Sloane. But on the other, she was her best chance at getting to Terev, and she needed that info if there was any hope of finding the Archon’s ship.

“I need him so I can infiltrate a Kett flagship,” Tessa said after a moment. “You’ve obviously got no love for the Kett—I’m doing you a favor.”

Sloane didn’t look like she was particularly thankful for the favor. “Kadara is an Angaran port. They want Vehn dead, and I want to keep them happy.”

Tessa let out a frustrated sigh. “This is bigger than local politics. Surely you can see that.”

“You don’t need Vehn,” Sloane countered. “You need his intel. Talk to him before I put his head on a spike.”

Tessa flinched slightly at the mental image of Terev’s head on a spike. Traitor or not, he didn’t deserve that. No one did. Even if Evfra and the Resistance decided to execute him, it wouldn’t be like that.

“That’s not your call,” Tessa said. “Vehn should be judged by the Resistance, they’re the ones he betrayed—not you.”

“I don’t have time for a morality debate,” Sloane said, practically spitting out the words. “I have more important things to take care of. Dismissed.”

She added a mock salute, and Tessa couldn’t resist a mocking bow in response. Two could play at being snarky. Out of the corner of her eye, Tessa saw one of Sloane’s guards raise his weapon towards her and without thinking, she whirled around and grabbed it, disarming the guard. Whether he was actually going to shoot her or was just being cautious, she wasn’t sure, but she wasn’t taking any chances.

The other guard raised his weapon, but Sloane raised a hand, calling him off, before turning to Tessa. “Get the fuck out.”

Tessa didn’t need to be told twice, though she couldn’t resist a flourishing little curtsy towards Sloane. “Your Highness.” She dropped the gun on her way out the door.

* * *

“Well, that could have gone better,” Tessa said to SAM once she was out of the Outcast headquarters.

“If you hadn’t antagonized Ms. Kelly, perhaps it would have been more successful,” SAM said and Tessa scrunched up her face.

“Maybe. But I don’t like her, and I refuse to kowtow to the whims of a dictator.” She realized that she might be taking things a tiny bit too personally, but she didn’t care.

“Perhaps Mr. Vidal had more success,” SAM offered.

“Let’s hope,” Tessa said. “Though even if he did, not sure how that helps _me_ , since he didn’t give me any way of contacting him.” She sighed and ran a hand through her coppery hair, mussing it up. She was getting too worked up and stressed out about this, she needed to calm down.

“Your heart rate is elevated, Pathfinder,” SAM noted. “I suggest deep, slow breaths.”

“Yeah, I know,” Tessa snapped. She regretted it instantly, rubbing her hands against her temples. “Sorry. Just… tense.”

The feel of the rifle butt against her back, the guard raising his gun at her… it was running through her mind on repeat and bringing back unpleasant memories, but that wasn’t important right now. Closing her eyes, she focused on her breathing— _in through the nose, out through the mouth, in through the nose, out through the mouth_ —the way she’d been taught. Slowly, she could feel her heart rate return to normal.

Back when her therapist had first suggested taking deep breaths to calm down from a panic attack, Tessa had thought she was joking. _I’m paying you_ how much _and you’re just telling me to breathe?_ _How is a normal bodily function going to help?_ But, reluctant as she was to admit it, it did help to at least slow her heart rate back down a little.

“Alright, let’s see if we can find Reyes,” Tessa said. She walked out into the Kadara marketplace, not even sure where to look or where to go, but as luck would have it, she didn’t have to look far.

“Pathfinder! Over here.” Reyes stood under an awning, near one of the vendors.

“Reyes,” Tessa said as she walked over.

“Have a nice chat?” he asked, crossing his arms and giving her that infuriating smirk of his that she was quickly becoming all too familiar with.

“I think she likes me,” Tessa said. “She told me to fuck off and her guard pulled a gun on me and everything. Real VIP treatment.”

Reyes laughed. “She must _really_ like you. Don’t worry, I found a workaround.”

“Oh?” Tessa raised an eyebrow. “Let me guess—it comes with strings attached?”

“Not any new ones,” Reyes said, though Tessa narrowed her eyes. She still didn’t trust Reyes. He had some kind of ulterior motive, she just _knew_ it, and whatever it was, she wasn’t interested.

“Hmm,” was all she said in response.

“Remember,” Reyes continued, as if she hadn’t said anything. “Evfra wants Vehn alive, so when you get inside, give him this. That’ll eat through whatever Sloane’s holding him in, and it can’t be traced back to us.”

“Us?” Tessa said. “I didn’t realize there was an ‘us’ now. Don’t you mean traced back to _you_?”

Reyes’ smirk widened. “Do you want there to be an us? Either way, like it or not, you’re involved now. You’ve pissed off Sloane.”

Tessa didn’t answer his question. “This is getting pretty complicated. Vehn’s intel better be worth it.”

Reyes laughed again. “You’ll be the judge of that, not me. There’s a maintenance shaft around the corner,” he continued. “Sending the access code to your omni-tool. That’ll get you inside. I trust you can handle the rest?”

“I could hack the damn thing if needed,” Tessa said, not liking Reyes’ slightly condescending tone. “I can definitely handle it.”

People always tended to underestimate her—partly due to her gender, she was sure, but also her appearance. She’d been told that her pale, freckled skin, soft coppery red hair that fell just past her chin and wide green eyes made her look innocent. Unassuming. Cute, even. “Doe-eyed damsel in distress” someone had called her once. He’d also talked about her “plump, kissable pink lips,” but she’d punched him in the nose shortly after that. Some damsel in distress.

“So, she’s as smart as she is beautiful,” Reyes laughed. “Good to know. But these access codes should get you in, no hacking needed.”

“Yeah yeah,” Tessa grumbled. “Thanks for the help.” Her tone was sarcastic, but she did genuinely mean the words—if it weren’t for Reyes, she’d be stuck without a way to contact Vehn, and she needed his info.

Reyes just winked at her and Tessa rolled her eyes and started to walk off. She only made it a couple of steps before she turned back to look at Reyes. “Also, you know what? You owe me a drink. You left me with the tab at Kralla’s Song for two drinks _you_ had, the least you can do is buy me a drink sometime.”

“You make a fair point,” Reyes said with a chuckle. “Alright. When you’re done, come to Tartarus. First round is on me, I promise.”

“Good,” Tessa said, and she turned to leave.

“You have previously expressed your distaste for Mr. Vidal,” SAM commented on the private channel. “Why did you request he purchase a beverage for you?”

“I don’t know,” Tessa said. She really _didn’t_ know, she’d been prepared to just demand he repay her, but then suddenly she was practically asking him out on a date, before she even knew what she was doing. “I guess… some company that isn’t related to all this Pathfinder business might be nice.”

And she had to admit, Reyes was extremely attractive. Arrogant and annoying, yes, but very easy on the eyes. She wasn’t normally the type to engage in casual flings, but a little flirting over a drink or two was harmless, right?  

“Pathfinder, I—"

“Don’t answer that, SAM,” Tessa said, cheeks reddening as she realized she’d said that last part out loud. “Rhetorical question.”

SAM, thankfully, didn’t say anything else and Tessa sighed and shook her head. “Alright. Business calls, let’s go pay Terev a visit.”

* * *

It didn’t take Tessa long to find the maintenance shaft Reyes had mentioned, and sure enough, the codes she typed into the console opened up a grating in the floor, revealing a staircase. She almost wished they hadn’t, for a little bit of a fun challenge, but she supposed hacking it did run a slight risk of getting caught.

“Guess this is it,” Tessa muttered, making her way down. At the bottom of the stairs was a small hallway with a second set of stairs at the end, leading up to what appears to be a small stock room. Another console at the bottom of the staircase presumably provided access to the rest of the facility.

“SAM, is there anyone up there?” She’d already pissed off Sloane, getting into more trouble was probably not the best idea.

“Negative, Pathfinder,” SAM said. “I can detect no heat signatures; the room is clear to enter.”

“Okay, here goes,” Tessa said. Despite SAM’s assurances that there was no one there, she entered the room cautiously, not wanting to get caught unawares by any hidden surprises. Poking her head out into the room and affirming for herself that it was all clear, Tessa pulled herself over the ledge and into the room.

At the back of the room was a door, and Tessa approached slowly. “SAM?”

“There is one heat signature detected, presumably that of Vehn Terev,” SAM said. “I can detect no other signs of life.”

“Alright, let’s do this,” Tessa muttered. She opened the door and found the holding cell just down the hall, one person inside, but no guards posted outside, as SAM had promised. The cell itself was dingy and dirty with a steady drip of water coming from the ceiling, but the lone occupant in the cell paid it no mind. Inside, sitting on a metal bench, was an Angaran man.

“Vehn Terev,” Tessa said as she approached, and he looked up.

“What do you want?”

“The Archon’s ship. I know you have the intel. Where is it?”

He just scoffed. “Is this a new interrogation tactic? Sloane’s getting lazy.”

“I’m not with Sloane,” Tessa said. “Evfra sent me. If you answer my questions, I can get you back to the Resistance.”

“So I’m trading one cell for another,” Vehn said, shaking his head. “Why should I help you? It’s all the same.”

“Well for starters,” Tessa said. “This is what you get for making deals with the bad guy. Not a whole lot of great options for you. Also, the Angaran people here on Kadara aren’t pleased with you for betraying the Moshae. They want your execution, and Sloane intends on following through. So, unless you want your head on a pike, I’d suggest answering my questions.”

“Fine,” Vehn said. “I’d rather be miserable than kaerkyn food.”

“Great,” Tessa said, crossing her arms. “Glad we’re in agreement. And this brings us back to the Archon’s ship—where is it?”

Vehn didn’t answer for a minute, and Tessa was just about to press the question again when he sighed and stood up. “I never saw it,” he admitted. “Got my orders from a kett transponder. But you could probably use its frequency to triangulate the Archon’s location.”

“Probably?” Tessa raised an eyebrow.

Vehn just shrugged slightly. “I can’t say for sure, but I don’t see why not.”

“Fine,” Tessa said. “Do you still have the transponder?”

“I buried it before I was arrested,” Vehn said. “Should still be outside the city.”

“That’s a bit more ‘should’ and ‘maybe’ and ‘probably’ than I was hoping for,” Tessa said. “But I guess it will have to do.”

Glancing around to make sure there weren’t any security cameras—though if there were, it was probably a bit too late anyways—she handed over the device Reyes had given her. “This should unlock the door. There’ll be a Resistance contact waiting outside.”

“Don’t you want to know why I did it?” Vehn called as Tessa started to walk away. “Why I betrayed the Moshae?”

Tessa paused and turned around. “Won’t change what you did, but sure. Enlighten me.”

“We’re losing the war against the kett,” Vehn said. “But Evfra still puts my brothers and sisters in danger to protect some useless old woman.”

“Useless old woman?” Tessa couldn’t keep the skeptical tone out of her voice. “Pretty sure that’s not how most of your people see the Moshae.” She’d heard the way Jaal talked about the Moshae, she was a revered icon in Angaran society, far from useless.

Vehn Terev ignored her. “I made the call Evfra wouldn’t. The Archon only wanted the Moshae, I thought if I gave her up…” he broke off with a pained sigh. “I didn’t know what the kett were doing to my people.”

Despite herself, Tessa felt a twinge of sympathy for him. He was still a traitor who had done horrible things, but at least he had some regret. Maybe that was worth something. Still, she shook her head. “Evfra still entrusted the Moshae to you. And you betrayed them both.”

“I did what I thought was right,” he said, turning away from her.

“The Moshae gives your people hope,” Tessa said. “I’ve seen how people love her, revere her, even. They look to her for guidance. Even if the Archon would have settled for the Moshae and not taken others, what use is winning a war if you sacrifice that which you cherish most?”

“I’ll accept the consequences of my actions,” was all Vehn had to say in response as he sat back down and Tessa sighed.

It was useless arguing with him, what was done was done, the Moshae was safe now, and she had the info needed to find the Archon’s ship. But still, there was a part of her which just longed to make him understand, or perhaps she longed for understanding herself, to understand how a decision like that could be made.

Perhaps what bothered her was that she knew that, as Pathfinder, she would have to make hard choices in the future—she’d already had to make some, and she’d barely gotten started. She criticized Vehn for sacrificing the Moshae, but how could you make hard choices and win wars without sacrificing _something_? How did you know if it was a reasonable sacrifice or a horrific one? Where was the line?

She’d never expected nor even particularly wanted this job, and yet here she was. Human Pathfinder. The _only_ Pathfinder for the time being. She’d been thrown into the job headfirst without any preparation, and now thousands of people were relying on her to somehow make it all right and that terrified her. If she genuinely thought sacrificing one person would save everyone else, would she do it?

“Pathfinder, I am detecting significant emotional distress,” SAM said. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Fine,” Tessa groaned, feeling a headache coming on. “Just… stressed. And Vehn brought up some issues I didn’t really want to think about. But really, I’m _fine_.”

Taking a deep breath and forcing a smile onto her face—as much to convince herself as anyone else—she straightened up and did her best to shake off the things worrying her. Now that the business with Vehn was taken care of, maybe she’d take Reyes up on his offer and meet him at Tartarus for a drink or two. Well, she still had to find the kett transponder Vehn had buried, but after that… she could do with some relaxation.

* * *

The Kett transponder was buried outside the port, in the badlands, so Tessa suited up and grabbed Cora and Jaal, in case things got ugly. Hopefully it would be easy enough to drive out to the transponder, grab it, and head back to Kadara Port, but considering that the badlands were filled with exiles, criminals, and competing gangs, Tessa didn’t want to take any chances.

“So, I take it the meeting with Vehn Terev was informational, then?” Cora said as she and Jaal met up with Tessa outside the lift to the slums.

“More or less,” Tessa said. “He didn’t know the location of the Archon’s ship, but he had a Kett transponder that he thought we could use to triangulate the location. The transponder is buried out in the badlands, I have the navpoint for it.”

“And Vehn?” Jaal asked, his voice carefully even, but Tessa didn’t miss the trembling emotion hidden just beneath the surface. “What is to become of him?”

“Sloane was going to execute him,” Tessa said. “That’s what the Angaran people in Kadara wanted. But Evfra wants him alive, so I broke him out of prison. A Resistance contact will deliver him back to Evfra.”

“Good,” Jaal said, letting out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Ryder, for this. I trust Evfra to decide the proper fate for Vehn; even if he is put to death, I am comforted knowing that Evfra will be the executor of his fate, not Sloane. But he will pay for betraying the Moshae.”

“Of course,” Tessa said. “I want to help your people whenever I can. I hope someday we will be able to peacefully coexist here in Heleus.”

“Your actions are appreciated,” Jaal assured her. “Even if some of my people are slow to admit it.”

They’d arrived in the slums, and Tessa couldn’t help but wrinkle up her nose at the sights—and smells—that lay before her. There was an overwhelming stench of urine and sulfur, and the crimes that lurked just below the surface in Kadara Port were on full display in the slums.

“What a… charming place,” Jaal said dryly.

Tessa just shook her head and carefully picked her way across the grates covering the poisonous water. Tucked away in an alley, she saw two people looting a dead body.

“Find anything good?” one of them was asking. “Check his pockets.”

“He doesn’t have much on him,” the other complained. “What a letdown.”

“What do you think you’re doing?” Tessa said, walking over, trying carefully to keep her voice even.

“Fuck off, this one’s ours,” one of the looters said.

“Have you no respect for the dead?” Tessa demanded, practically shaking with rage. “How can you show such little regard for loss of life? Looting dead bodies is disgusting, these people deserve a proper burial, not to have their belongings stolen.”

“Show more respect,” one of them said, mocking Tessa’s words as she laughed and turned to her companion. “Can you believe this? ‘Looting is wrong.’”

“Look, kid, they have no use for their belongings anymore, so finders keepers,” the other one said. “But feel free to go running to mommy about how the world is unfair.”

They both kept laughing at Tessa, and she felt her anger growing, her hand clenching into fists as she had to resist the urge to punch them or drag them away from the body, something.

“Come on, let’s keep moving,” Cora said, placing a hand on Tessa’s arm.

Tessa shrugged the hand off and took another step forward towards the looters. “Back. Off.”

“Or what?” one of the looters said, still cackling. “You going to talk sternly to us?”

In one swift motion, Tessa pulled out her gun and trained it on them, her hands perfectly still. “Don’t fucking tempt me.”

“Geez, chill,” the first looter said. “What the fuck is wrong with you, it’s just a dead body, not like _he_ cares.”

“Leave. Now,” Tessa said, clicking back the safety on her gun.

“Whatever, he doesn’t even have any good loot,” one of the looters said. “It’s not worth this.”

“You’re fucking crazy, you know that, right?” the other said.

The looters cleared out, and once they were out of sight, Tessa re-holstered her gun and crouched down next to the dead man. “Poor guy.”

“We lack the necessary tools to give him a proper burial, Pathfinder,” SAM said. “Chasing off the looters likely didn’t accomplish anything.”

“I know,” Tessa said. “But I couldn’t just stand there and let them violate the poor man like that.”

“Do you really think it’s going to change anything?” Cora asked.

Tessa straightened up. “Maybe? Probably not? I don’t know. I doubt this one instance will change much, people will still loot dead bodies, but change has to start somewhere small, right? I’d rather try and fail than not even try.”

“I guess I can’t fault that,” Cora said. “Come on, ready to go get that transponder?

Tessa nodded and lead the way through the rest of the slums and out into the badlands.

“You know, it would be kind of pretty here,” Cora remarked as they stepped out into the open air of the badlands. “… if it weren’t for the criminals, the water, and all the violence.”

Tessa laughed. “You could say that again.” She called down a forward station from one of the pre-designated nav-points, just outside the wall cordoning off the slums, and from there, called down the Nomad.

“Alright everyone, pile in,” she said. “Dibs on driving.” Once they were in, Tessa started up the engine and headed off to the navpoint SAM had marked for her. Most of the drive passed in silence, but shortly before they reached the navpoint, Cora spoke up.

“Oh hey, how did the meeting with the Angaran resistance contact turn out? Obviously, he provided good intel on Vehn, but is he someone we could use in the future? Especially if we want to start an outpost here, we’ll need all the friends we can get.”

“Turns out ‘Shena’ is a human smuggler,” Tessa said dryly. “And I’m sure he’d be perfectly willing to help out in the future—so long as it’s beneficial to him.”

“Ah, one of those types,” Cora said knowingly. “Best to not get involved, then. There’s always too many strings attached.”

Jaal, who Tessa thought had been asleep, suddenly started laughing. “His codename is Shena?”

“Yeah?” Tessa glanced over her shoulder at Jaal. “Why? What’s so funny about that?”

“Shena is Angaran for ‘mouth’,” Jaal said, still chuckling. “It makes you wonder how he came to have that codename.”

Despite herself, Tessa found herself blushing at the implications behind the name, which was ridiculous. Sure, the guy was good-looking, but he was an arrogant piece of work, and Tessa did _not_ need that in her life. The last time she’d let herself fall for a guy like that, she’d sorely regretted it. She wasn’t about to make the same mistakes.

“Maybe I’ll ask him next time I see him,” Tessa said.

Cora looked surprised at that. “You have plans to see him again?”

“Just for a drink,” Tessa said. “He left me with the bill last time, so he promised to make it up to me, and I’m not one to say no to free drinks.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Cora said. “Those smuggler types can be dangerous, and you’re the Pathfinder. He might just be trying to get something out of you.”

Tessa shrugged slightly and pulled the Nomad up to a building, where the navpoint said the transponder was. “I’m sure he wants something out of me. But I can handle myself. Anyways, this is where the transponder is buried.”

“I wonder what’s inside,” Jaal remarked as they exited the Nomad.

“No idea,” Tessa said. “But I’d rather not find out right now, this transponder is too important.”

“Agreed,” Cora said. “Where do we dig?”

“Over here,” Tessa said, following the navpoint on her HUD. “Should be right under here.”

After a couple minutes of digging, Tessa pulled the transponder out of the ground with a triumphant “aha!”.

“That’s a mess,” Cora said, shaking her head as she looked at the transponder Tessa held.

“The transponder’s power source is drained,” SAM remarked.

“Alright, so let’s juice it up, turn it on, and then Gil can work his magic,” Tessa said, raking back the coppery strands of hair that had fallen into her face while digging.

“Once complete, this should provide us with the Archon’s location,” SAM said. “And in turn, Meridian’s.”

“Totally easy,” Tessa said. “Find the Kett head honcho’s ship, infiltrate it, somehow escape alive, steal the map to Meridian, find Meridian, make the planets all habitable again, make a home in Heleus. Boom. Simple.”

Jaal frowned. “That doesn’t sound very easy, though I appreciate your optimism.”

Cora laughed. “I think she’s being sarcastic.”

“Ah, of course,” Jaal said, his brows un-creasing. “But still, this will help your people—help both our people—if we can succeed. Though it will certainly not be simple.”

“Definitely nothing simple about it,” Tessa agreed. “But for now, let’s get this back to Gil.”

And maybe then, she could _finally_ meet Reyes for that drink at Tartarus. He’d better make good on his promise to pay, because if there was one thing Tessa Ryder really had no patience for, it was people who went back on their words. And people who left her with the tab for drinks she hadn’t even had. Time to see if Reyes Vidal was a man of his word.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things start to pick up a little between Tessa and Reyes in this chapter.
> 
> Big thanks to h34rt1lly for her tireless beta work!

“Pathfinder, we just received notification that there’s been a murder in Kadara Port.” 

Kallo’s voice came over the comms the moment Tessa was back inside the slums, having returned from locating the Kett transponder.

“Murder, huh?” Tessa sighed. Just when she was thinking she might be able to go grab a drink and let her hair down, so to speak. “We should probably check that out.”

“Yes, lovely planet,” Kallo said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Hope we never leave.”

“Guess it’s back to Kadara Port,” Tessa said.

“Need any help on this?” Cora asked, but Tessa shook her head.

“I know you guys had your own things you were planning to do while we’re here. It’s not exactly shore leave, but it’s the closest to it we might get for a while, and I don’t want to make you guys run errands all over Kadara with me.”

“Are you sure?” Jaal asked. “I have no interest in anything this festering place has to offer, I would not mind accompanying you.”

Tessa laughed. “It’s fine, really. Go… enjoy yourself. If possible.”

“Hmm,” was all Jaal said.

“I did want to see about getting some new mods for my shotgun,” Cora said. “If you’ve got a handle on this, I might go check that out.”

“Go for it,” Tessa said. “I’ve got a dead body to see.”

Sighing, she gave one longing glance towards Tartarus, before taking the lift back to the Port. Once she was back in the Port proper, the body wasn’t hard to find. A crowd of people were gathered around the poor soul, right outside Kralla’s Song, with a guard trying to ward them off.

“Come on, move along,” he was saying. “You’ve all seen a dead body before.”

“The Charlatan strikes again,” one man mumbled. Judging by his slightly slurred words and the stench of alcohol on him, Tessa guessed he’d had a few too many drinks at Kralla’s Song.

“If you would like, Pathfinder, I could provide an analysis of the deceased, via the scanner,” SAM told Tessa over the private channel.

“Probably a good idea,” she agreed, opening up her scanner. “Let’s see… Angaran… was intoxicated at the time of death, bled out from stomach lacerations… hmm, interesting. The facial wounds were made post-mortem.”

“Another body?” A new guard came by, shaking his head. “I don’t get paid enough for this shit.”

Tessa raised an eyebrow at that. “There’s been more than one murder?”

“At least seven,” the guard said. “Though there may be more that I’m not aware of.”

“There been at least  _ seven _ murders?” Tessa raised her eyebrows in disbelief. “So there’s a serial killer on the loose. What have you done to find the murderer?”

“Hey, Kadara Port is dangerous,” the guard complained. “That’s what the protection fees are for. People know what they’re getting themselves into.”

“Right, so all of these people who were murdered failed to pay their protection fees,” Tessa said. “Can you guarantee that?”

The guard didn’t say anything, and Tessa let out a frustrated sigh. “Typical. Guess it’s up to me, then. Joy. I love solving murders in my spare time.”

“Perhaps Mr. Vidal would have more information, Pathfinder,” SAM suggested.

“Well, it’s as good of an idea as any,” Tessa said. “Guess it’s time to hit up Tartarus after all.”

She didn’t bother taking any of her crew with her this time when she headed to the slums. The badlands were dangerous and it was easy to be overpowered and outgunned, but if trouble came knocking in the slums, she could handle herself in a simple bar fight.

Once she was in the slums, it wasn’t hard to find Tartarus. The loud, thumping music poured out of the nightclub, accompanied by a stench of alcohol and stale sweat—not particularly any more pleasant than the rest of the slums, but different. Inside, the nightclub was filled with bright strobe lights and music loud enough that Tessa could  _ feel _ it, not just hear it.

“Hey, lady, can I buy you a drink?” someone slurred, sidling up to her, and Tessa wrinkled her nose in distaste.

“No thanks.” She pushed off through the crowds before he could ask again, past the sensual Asari dancers and gawking patrons, past the people lounging on sofas and sipping their drinks.

“Alright,” she muttered to herself. “If you were Reyes Vidal, where would you be?” Out of the corner of her eye, she spied a data pad on a nearby table. With no one nearby seeming to claim ownership of it, she picked it up, scanning the message.

_ All Tartarus Staff: Upstairs private room is now occupied, so you’ll have to find a new place to nap. Bring the gentleman whatever he asks. Tab is under Vidal. _

“Bingo.” Placing the datapad back on the table, Tessa wove her way through the crowds of people again and up the stairs.

“Hey, can I get a dance?” Some guy leered at her, blowing a puff of smoke into her face and she coughed, swatting at the smoke.

“Do I look like a fucking dancer?” she asked. She was wearing her standard-issue Pathfinder armor, pistol holstered securely at her hip and sub-machine gun at the small of her back.

“I thought this was some kind of new get-up,” he said, leaning closer. “You know… sexy soldier costume.”

Tessa just rolled her eyes, not bothering to dignify that with a response. Cheap bars and nightclubs always seemed to bring out the worst in people, and it seemed exacerbated in the exiles. Tessa found herself longing for a nice hot shower back on the Tempest, to wash away all the grime and sensations of unpleasant men hitting on her.

Moving on, she stopped in front of an unmarked door. Hopefully this was the room mentioned in the datapad, and hopefully Reyes was inside. “Here goes nothing,” she muttered, and pushed open the door.

“Tell her to call later—I’m drinking,” Reyes’ voice came. “And leave the bottle.”

“Leave the bottle?” Tessa quipped, unable to stop herself. “I hope you’re planning on sharing.”

Reyes laughed and waved her over. “But of course, I’d share anything with you.” He winked, and Tessa crossed her arms, trying not to let herself get sucked into his charm.

“Actually, I’m here on business,” she started to say.

“Ah, what a shame,” he said. “Are you always so uptight? Sit down, have a drink on me, loosen up a little. We can discuss business over drinks.”

“Let’s just skip straight ahead to the business part,” Tessa said. Sure, a drink with an attractive man like Reyes  _ sounded _ nice, but this was his territory. Letting her guard down could be dangerous, she needed to retain control of the situation. The last time she’d let herself fall for a devilishly handsome man, it had ended in disaster, and she was  _ not _ about to make the same mistakes.

“Alright, suit yourself,” Reyes said with a shrug as he poured himself a drink. “Actually, I’m glad you’re here, I was going to bring up the issue plaguing Kadara Port. I assume this is about the murders?”

Tessa nodded. “There’s a fresh body outside Kralla’s Song. Locals seem to think it’s the Charlatan’s handiwork.”

“Hmm,” Reyes said, frowning. “I don’t buy it. The Charlatan is… discreet. Careful. Whoever did this wanted the bodies found.”

“Hmm, true,” Tessa agreed. “They’re making a statement. A body left out in the open like that is a pretty powerful way of getting a message across.”

“But to who?”

“Sloane?” Tessa guessed. “The killer could be unhappy with how she’s running things. I know you described Sloane as a ‘woman of the people,’ but let’s face it, she’s a tyrant who does whatever suits her. Or maybe it was a member of the Collective gone rogue, if you don’t think it’s the Charlatan himself. Or herself.”

Reyes shook his head. “No, I don’t think it’s directed towards Sloane-- less than a third of the victims are Outcasts. If I was a betting man—and I am,” he interjected with a chuckle, “I’d say it was the Roekaar.”

“The Roekaar?” Tessa was skeptical. “Why would the Roekaar be in Kadara Port? And why would they be murdering Angarans? They’re violently xenophobic, sure, but they’re not generally known to target their own people.”

“Well, Kadara Port is Angaran-built,” Reyes reminded her. “And, before the uprising and before Sloane took over, it was Angaran-run.”

“You do make a good point,” Tessa said, mulling it over. And as she did, she remembered instances on Havarl with Jaal, running into Roekaar militants who attacked him just as much as they did herself. Jaal had told her that in their eyes, he was a traitor for sympathizing with the aliens, and no better than the aliens themselves.

“I think the Roekaar came here looking for new recruits,” Reyes continued. “And things got out of hand.”

“What about the Angaran victims, though?” Tessa questioned. “I know there have been instances of Roekaar attacking their own people, when they’re alien sympathizers, but it seems pretty rare.”

“That’s just it,” Reyes said. “I did some digging. All of the deceased Angarans were vocal Milky Way sympathizers.”

“So the victims were either  _ from _ the Milky Way—”

“Or supported them,” Reyes finished. “It’s the only pattern I could find.”

“It’s a solid start, at least,” Tessa agreed. “An Angaran port run by aliens would be a prime target for the Roekaar cause.”

“But the problem is, I’ve got no proof,” Reyes said. “And the Resistance doesn’t want to antagonize the Roekaar—they’re busy fighting the war against the kett, and there’s still a sense of kinship among all Angara.”

“Let me guess,” Tessa said. “This is where I come in?”

Reyes just flashed her that oh-so-charming smile of his. “I need that fancy AI of yours to scan for evidence that could implicate the Roekaar.” His expression turned serious suddenly. “People are scared, Ryder. This is your opportunity to win friends in Kadara Port.”

“Sure, you just need me for my AI,” Tessa said with a derisive sniff. “I see how it is.”

“Well, you’re certainly a bonus, if that makes you feel any better,” Reyes said.

“I haven’t even agreed to help you yet,” Tessa pointed out.

“I feel good about my chances.” The look Reyes gave her was unfairly sexy, and Tessa found herself wanting to give into temptation, to pursue this further, despite her brain flashing a red alert signal.  _ BAD IDEA. BAD IDEA. ABORT.  _

There was an easy charm about Reyes that she couldn’t help but feel drawn to. No matter how much she told herself to stay on guard, to not give Reyes a chance to manipulate her or cause her to lose her head, every time she was around him she found herself wanting to just say  _ fuck it, who cares _ , and throw caution to the wind. 

“One of the crime scenes isn’t far,” Reyes said, returning to business, and dragging Tessa out of her inner turmoil as brain and heart battled against each other. “Give me a call when you get there.”

“Fine,” Tessa said. “But once I’m done with this, you still owe me that drink."

Reyes laughed. “I haven’t forgotten, I promise. But business first, Tessa.”

It was the first time he’d called her by her first name, not Pathfinder or Ryder, and Tessa liked it more than she’d care to admit. Despite herself, a slight smile twitched at the corners of her lips, and she was glad he didn’t comment on her odd behavior-- constantly refusing drinks and then telling him to follow-up on the drink he owed her. She knew she was being erratic, but the fact that his charm never wavered was… nice.

“I’ll call you when I’m there,” Tessa said, shaking herself free from her thoughts as she turned to leave.

* * *

A short while later, Tessa, Drack and Jaal pulled up in the Nomad outside the crime scene Reyes had given her the navpoint for. It was a small building out in the middle of nowhere in the badlands, and from the outside at least, seemed quiet and peaceful. Almost eerily quiet.

“Reyes, I’m at the crime scene,” Tessa said over the comms.

“Great,” Reyes said. “I’ve got intel on our dead guy. Krogan male, went by the name of Zear. His frontal plate was pried off before he was shot to death.”

“Ouch,” Tessa muttered, wincing at the thought. “Poor bastard. Whoever did this didn’t just want him dead, they wanted him to hurt.”

“Not one of mine, at least,” Drack commented.

“Well, that’s a small plus,” Tessa said. “Still. Bad way to go.”

“Do your scanning thing,” Reyes said. “Look for anything that might lead us to the killer.”

Tessa rolled her eyes at the phrase “scanning thing,” but she complied. Much as she disliked feeling like she was only useful because of SAM, the scanner  _ did _ provide invaluable intel.

Over the course of the next hour, as Tessa scanned various parts of the crime scene, the pieces of the puzzle slowly clicked together-- bloody Angaran footprints lent weight to Reyes’ Roekaar theory, a theory which only grew stronger when she discovered Angaran blood on the body of the poor dead Krogan. 

The final nail in the coffin came when Tessa discovered a bloodied knife with a Shelesh inscription on it-- translated by Jaal as “A home filled with strangers becomes a prison.” With the DNA evidence and the writing on the blade, which Jaal recognized as Akksul’s words, they had enough evidence to go on to take this to the Roekaar hideout and see what they had to say for themselves.   
“Reyes?” Tessa said over the comms. “Looks like your theory about the Roekaar was right, there’s some pretty damning evidence.”

“Of course I was right,” Reyes said, and Tessa could practically  _ hear _ him smirking, and it was equal parts infuriating and infuriatingly charming. “I don’t place bets lightly. Let’s pay our local Roekaar a visit.

Tessa raised an eyebrow. “Wait, you know where they are?”

Reyes chuckled softly. “I wasn’t sitting on my ass the whole time,” he said. “I’m looking at the place right now.”

“Fine,” Tessa sighed. “Give me the navpoint, we’ll be there soon. These murders end today.”

“I’m right with you, kid,” Drack said. “I’m itching to knock some Roekaar heads together.”

* * *

A short trip in the Nomad later and the trio arrived at the coordinates Reyes sent, another prefab building, surrounded by untamed wildlife.

“You think Reyes is actually going to show up?” Drack said.

Tessa shrugged slightly as she climbed out of the Nomad. “He said he’d be here, I have no reason to believe otherwise.”

But as the climbed the steps and entered the building, Reyes was nowhere to be found, and Tessa had to admit she felt a little… disappointed.

“I don’t understand,” she said, torn between frustration that he let them down and disappointment that he wasn’t there. “Reyes should be here.”

“You like him,” Jaal said, a hint of amusement in his tone.

“What? No,” Tessa said with a slightly nervous laugh. “That’s not—"

Before she could finish her sentence, the door at the back of the room opened and several Angaran burst through, guns pointed at Tessa, Drack and Jaal.

“Don’t move,” one of them said, and with a sigh, Tessa put her hands up. Not much else  _ to _ do— in the time it would take her to reach her weapon, the Roekaar would have ample opportunity to fire.

“Oh dear,” she said. “Were we too loud?”

“Shut up,” the Angaran said. “Farah will deal with you.” He led them through the door at the back of the room and down a set of stairs that fed into a large cavern. Down below, Tessa could see a multitude of heavily armed Roekaar and she swallowed nervously. What had they been thinking, infiltrating the Roekaar hideout? Even if Reyes was there, they’d still be vastly outnumbered and outgunned. Tessa liked to think of herself as a rational person, and things were most definitely not looking good.

As they made their descent down the stairs, the Roekaar leading the group stopped in front of an Angaran woman who had come to meet them. Farah, Tessa assumed.

“I don’t need to tell you what happens next,” Farah said.

“Let me guess,” Tessa said with a sigh. “You’re going to try and kill me and my friends, because you’re a xenophobic zealot. I’ve got a few questions before we begin.”

“No,” Farah said, pulling out a knife and giving it a loving caress. “You will bleed, just like the others.”

Tessa narrowed her eyes, feeling her blood start to boil at how casually this woman embraced violence. “So, it’s true. You admit to murdering innocent people.”

“Invaders and sympathizers are not innocent!” Farah said. “I  _ will _ protect my home.”

Tessa blew out a frustrated sigh. “We are not invaders! We  _ can _ co-exist.” She waved a hand at Jaal. “Proof of our co-existing, right here. I have tried time and again to prove myself a friend to the Angara.  _ Please _ , give peace and friendship a try.”

“Like here on Kadara?” Farah questioned. “Sloane lies to my people and uses them for her own power. This was once an Angaran port, and now you make a mockery of everything we once were.”

“I’m not Sloane,” Tessa said, but Farah was already shaking her head, and Tessa could see that the cause was lost.

“You are all the same,” she said as she lifted her knife and prepared to throw it.

Tessa was in the middle of trying to figure out how she was possibly going to get out of this alive, when there was a bang and Farah doubled over in pain, dropping her knife. Glancing behind her, where the shot had come from, Tessa saw Reyes running down the stairs, gun in hand.

“Not so fast,” he said, and Tessa thought she’d never been happier to hear his stupidly sexy, smug voice.

“You’re late,” she said, crossing her arms as he came into position next to her. “Cutting it awfully close, don’t you think? A second later and that knife would have hit its target—me.”

“I’ve got a good reason,” he promised. “You’ll see in three… two…”

“Don’t just stand there!” Farah said, having recovered. “Kill them!” But no sooner had she spoken the words than a big explosion went off, the area exploding in flames and killing several of the Roekaar who had been standing there. 

While Farrah and the rest of the Roekaar were distracted, Tessa took the opportunity to dive for cover, peering out from behind some sturdy crates as she examined the situation.

“Still mad?” Reyes asked, smirking at her from behind cover a few feet away. Tessa just shook her head as she unholstered her pistol.

“Still mad,” she said. “You owe me.”

“I’ll make it up to you, I promise,” he said. “And I always make good on my promises.”

“How about you two flirt once we’re  _ not _ in the middle of a fight,” Drack grumbled. “Kids these days.”

Farah, who had only been knocked aside by the explosion, drew a gun. “Die!”

“Not so fast,” Tessa muttered, quickly pulling out a flat disk from a pouch on her armor and tossing it out into the fray. With a few taps on her omni-tool it unfolded into a turret and began shooting.

Drack had charged into the middle of the fight and was knocking some Roekaar heads together, while Reyes and Jaal provided some cover with their gunfire, giving Tessa enough time to sprint to a better cover.

She’d thought the cover fire was enough, but Farah spotted her and turned her weapon on her, a barrage of bullets that easily tore through Tessa’s shields.

“Fuck,” she said, diving behind a jutted-out cave wall.

“You alright there?” Reyes called.

“Bastards cut through my shields,” Tessa shouted back. She grinned to herself. “But luckily, that is easily fixed.” Calling up a command on her omni-tool, she sent out an electromagnetic pulse, damaging Farah’s shields and simultaneously restoring her own.

Not only did it restore her shields, but she sent the pulse out right as the assault turret was firing, causing the electromagnetic energy to react with the turret and create a big explosion. Tessa grinned as she watched it all go down—she’d been playing around with tech in some form or another since she was old enough to walk, but she never tired of watching the marvels that could be created with just the right tech combos.

Reyes, Drack and Jaal easily finished off the rest of the Roekaar, the sounds of firing weapons ceasing for a moment, all was calm as they waited to make sure the Roekaar really were dead.

“So, a tech expert, then?” Reyes said, once they were sure all was clear, turning towards Tessa with that infuriatingly charming smile of his. “Impressive. I had you pegged for more of a soldier type, but you never even lifted a gun.”

Tessa flashed him a grin. “Well, I have a gun, too, of course. But it’s more fun to use tech, anyone can point a gun and shoot.”

Reyes clutched a hand to his chest in mock pain. “Anyone? You wound me. Here I was thinking I wasn’t a half-bad sharpshooter, but apparently that has no value.”

Tessa laughed. “I didn’t mean it like that. Shooting a gun takes skill, too, but I guess I meant  _ my _ skills are better suited towards tech.” Sure, she could shoot a gun when she needed to, but she much preferred  _ not _ needing to.

“So, no mere soldier but a  _ thinker _ ,” Reyes said. “I like it. Though, I suppose I shouldn’t have expected any less from the renowned Pathfinder.”

Tessa blushed a little at the compliment. “You know, we make a pretty decent team. We took care of those Roekaar pretty easily.”

Reyes smirked. “Careful. If you keep talking like that I might think you like me.”

Tessa’s blush deepened, hating how easily he managed to charm his way past her carefully constructed defenses. “Don’t hold your breath.”

Reyes just chuckled. “Well, the streets of Kadara are safe again, thanks to your help. Don’t worry, I’ll let all the important people know who to thank.” He winked at her as he said that last part.

“Well, I didn’t do it alone,” Tessa said, suddenly acutely aware of Drack and Jaal who had been standing there the whole time while Reyes flirted and she acted like a naïve schoolgirl, too easily taken in by a little flattery.

“Of course,” Reyes said. “Stop by Tartarus sometime, I’ll buy you that drink I owe you. See you around, Pathfinder.”

His placed his hand on her shoulder as he turned to leave, just the barest brush, and through her combat armor no less, but Tessa shivered slightly anyways. Inwardly, she groaned. If there was one thing she knew for certain, it was that Reyes Vidal was bad news. That much she was sure of.

But one thing she was equally sure of was that despite her best efforts, she was slowly starting to fall for his charms anyways. 


End file.
